SEASONS' PORTRAITS

TECHNICAL FOCUS

A year-by-year look at the Vandervell racing machines, including the Thinwall Specials

Author

Don Capps

Date

8W Special, March 16, 2000

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1949 -- Thinwall Special No. 1 / Ferrari 125 GPC, 1.5 litre supercharged V-12 engine in a short wheelbase chassis with swing axle rear suspension. It was returned to Ferrari (after being examined by BRM). No chassis number has surfaced so far as to the identity of this car.

1950 -- Thinwall Special No. 2 / Ferrari 125 with a 1.5 litre supercharged, twin-plug V-12 in a long wheelbase chassis with swing axle rear suspension. Chassis number 125-C-02. It was returned to Ferrari to be rebuilt as the Thinwall Special No. 3.

1951 -- Thinwall Special No. 3 / Ferrari 375 with 4.5 litre normally aspired single-plug V-12 using a long wheelbase chassis with de Dion rear axle. Used the same chassis as Thinwall Special No. 2, 125-C-02. This car was retained by the team and broken up in 1952.

1954 -- Vanwall Special / Cooper-built chassis (Type 30) with Vandervell engine developed with Norton (upper) and Rolls-Royce (lower). The engine was developed in 2.0, 2.3 and 2.5 litre versions. After being crashed at Barcelona in 1954, it was not rebuilt.

1955 -- Vanwall / The team built four chassis to its own design. Chassis numbers were:

VW1

VW2

VW3

VW4

All were broken up at the end of the season and used as the basis for the 1956 cars.

1956 -- Vanwall / The team built four cars using the chassis as re-designed by Colin Chapman and the bodywork designed by Frank Costin. The cars had transverse leaf spring rear suspension. The cars were retained for 1957. Chassis numbers were:

VW1/56

VW2/56 -- won the International Trophy at Silverstone

VW3/56

VW4/56

1957 -- Vanwall / A total of 10 chassis planned. but no more than four fully assembled at any one time (well sort of - see below). The cars now had coil spring rear suspension. The first four chassis were those retained from 1956 with the remainder being built-up during the season. The chassis numbers were:

VW1

VW2 -- never completed

VW3

VW4 -- won the British GP at Aintree

VW5 -- won the Pescara GP and Italian GP

VW6 -- the Streamliner, converted to normal bodywork

VW7

VW8 -- Lightweight chassis

VW9 -- Lightweight chassis, not assembled during the season

VW10

1958 -- Vanwall / The 1957 cars were retained with detail modifications to the suspension and bodywork. The chassis numbers:

VW5 -- rebuilt with smaller, modified bodywork and lighter components. Later fitted with an experimental rear suspension developed by Colotti, but never raced in this configuration

VW9 -- retained as a show car by Vandervell Products

VW10 -- retained for testing purposes, but rebuilt in 1960 in 1958 form for "demonstrations"

1960 -- Vanwall / In addition to the chassis retained for show (VW9) and demonstration (VW10) purposes only two chassis used in 1960:

VW11 -- a new chassis built from VW5 components with "low-line" bodywork. Used Colotti transmission and suspension. Driven by Tony Brooks at Reims, then dismantled and retained by the team

VWL12 -- used for testing; actually Lotus 18 chassis 901 mounted with a Vanwall engine. Sold, less engine, by the team as a rolling chassis

1961 -- Vanwall / A rear-engine chassis was built for the Inter-Continental Formula series using a 2.6 litre Vanwall engine. Engines V4, V6 and V9 converted to rear-engined specification. Driven by John Surtees in its only race at Silverstone:

VW14 -- later rebuilt into a Mk.2 version, but never raced in that form.

Note: There were only nine Vanwall engines used by the team, V1 through V9, the latter not being used during competition in a front-engined car.

Note from 1957:

For a fleeting few days - almost literally hours, in fact - in July 1957 there actually were FIVE Vanwalls in full kit. Here's how it happened:

As noted, the team had only one week between the GP de l'ACF at Rouen and the Reims race. Since it would have been quite out of the question to bring the transporter back to Acton, unload the Rouen cars (VW1 and VW4), load up the Reims cars (VW6, VW7, VW8), and return to the Continent, it was decided to send out both transporters to France.

One transporter was sent to Rouen with VW1 and VW4. The other to Reims with VW7 and VW8. After Rouen, on that Tuesday as a matter of fact, VW6 was flown to Calais. It was off-loaded and VW1 and VW4 loaded on the aircraft and returned to Southend. On Wednesday, these were back at the race shop in Acton undergoing the usual post-race disassembly.

Meanwhile, the transporter with VW7 and VW8 was in Reims where it was joined by the transporter carrying VW6 from Calais.

So, from roughly Monday through Wednesday of that week there were five fully-assembled Vanwalls lurking about. Scanning the rest of the 1957 season and the 1958 season, I haven't found a similar situation where there were more than four fully-assembled Vanwalls. I am certain that at some point during the 1958 season there might have been a fifth chassis missing only an engine but otherwise ready for use.

Vanwall Racing Logbook

Note: This racing log covers only the appearances of the Vanwall Special or the Vanwall machines.